It was the end of the night, I said goodbye to my friends, left their dorm and headed down the hall. Mindlessly, I went up the stairs, headed onto what I thought was my floor, opened my door only to be met with the sight of a person standing in my bathroom. I screamed and the boy looked at me and said, “I think you have the wrong room.” My soul left my body as I exited that poor person’s room. As one would, I went directly back to my friends room to tell them what happened. The first thing I said was, “I am totally making it onto Spottednrh.”
These accounts have the power to create a culture where every mistake feels like content, and every interaction feels like it could be submitted and consumed.
For those who don’t know, Mcgill students have created Instagram accounts for students to send in anonymous confessions, messages, and sometimes even declarations of love. There are accounts for different residences and one for the entire school. With eyes everywhere and a phone in every pocket, the odds of your embarrassing mishap making it onto one of these accounts feel very high.
When there is a way to share gossip without having to include your name, nothing is off limits. With the anonymity that this offers students, the messages that get sent to these accounts can be shocking. Admittedly, some of the things that my fellow students say make me giggle and often suggest that we’re all just trying to figure it out together.
While these accounts often post lighthearted messages sometimes they cross a line from relatable to problematic. Anonymity offers people freedom that is not given when your own image is on the line as people are way more likely to bite their tongue if it could cause damage to their own reputation.
These social pressures that sometimes cause people to not say how they actually feel are necessary. Without them, people begin to lack empathy they would have otherwise. It is easy to be cruel when no one is watching.
The whole point of these accounts is to say the things you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. And this is a slippery slope. What may begin as entertainment can quickly become bullying. Commenting anonymously about people’s body, their sexuality, or moments that were meant to be private isn’t funny, it’s mean.
When there is a way to share gossip without having to include your name, nothing is off limits.
Recently, the Spottednrh account was forcibly taken down after all residents received an email describing that some of the posts were in violation of article 10 of The McGill Code of Student Conduct. Our residence life manager was made aware of the account after posts that “specifically called out residents, their residence floors and their specific physical appearances.” Within the email, students were reminded that some of the more severe posts are promoting harassment and online bullying and we were all urged to not engage with the accounts to avoid disciplinary action. These accounts have the power to create a culture where every mistake feels like content, and every interaction feels like it could be submitted and consumed.
It’s important that the accounts continue to monitor what confessions get posted. Comments that can be damaging or hurtful to others cross a line. Singling out a person and name dropping can really affect someone’s mental state whether it is intentional or not. The admins hold a responsibility to ensure that their accounts stay lighthearted and it’s on all of us to decide if every passing thought is worth sending in.
